The deceased US VP Dick Cheney, who has died at the age of 84, was considered one of the most significant holders of that office in American history. Whereas many vice-presidents were limited to minor or symbolic positions, Cheney held substantial sway during the term of George W Bush, to the point that he was often described as the "real president".
Bush objected to this portrayal and claimed the dynamic was more complicated. He noted that Cheney was respectful, always calling him in official appearances as Mr President, while he addressed him as Dick. Bush questioned even portrayals of their association as a partnership because it implied that they were equals. Despite these objections, Cheney viewed the easygoing president accommodating on a whole raft of administrative determinations.
A Period Following the Attacks
In charge of a faction of neo-cons that included defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld and assistant defense secretary Paul Wolfowitz, he strongly advocated the military intervention of Iraq in 2003 in response to the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. At the time of the 9/11 assault, Bush had been attending a gathering at a school in Florida. Whereas Bush headed for a secret bunker in Nebraska, Cheney took charge, ordering the shooting down of any non-communicating airplanes heading toward the Capitol building.
Cheney claimed the assaults changed him, causing him to be determined on retaliation. In conjunction with other neo-conservatives, such as Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz, he advocated for a takeover of Afghanistan in an attempt to capture Osama bin Laden. Cheney then pressed fiercely for the armed intervention of Iraq, though there was no evidence of Saddam Hussein being involved.
Debated Actions
He showed no remorse about the armed intervention, in which an estimated 100,000 Iraqis lost their lives, nor about the waterboarding of individuals rounded up after 9/11. He stated to CNN in 2015 that the Iraq invasion effort, which was based on faulty intelligence circulated by Cheney, was the proper course of action. "It was the proper decision to do then. I was convinced back then and I maintain that stance now."
Yet during that period, there were contrary opinions at a senior level about the mishandling of Iraq. One of the administration's own special envoys to the area, General Anthony Zinni (2001-03), was not retained from the role. "I observed, at a minimum," he subsequently stated "obvious failure, negligence, and irresponsibility: at worst, lying, incompetence, and graft."
Wider Perspective
Cheney was not solely responsible for the Iraq campaign. Prior to 9/11, Wolfowitz had pushed for comparable steps. He had drafted a memo outlining circumstances in which national priorities might be threatened (including "access to crucial commodities, primarily Persian Gulf oil"). Wolfowitz had argued that "the United States should be postured to operate alone when joint efforts cannot be orchestrated," specifically referencing defense operations against Iraq.
Bush too had assumed the Oval Office somewhat determined on executing what his father had famously refused to do in 1991; remove Saddam. Subsequent to he had been sacked by the administration, the treasury secretary Paul O'Neill disclosed how, at the initial gathering of the National Security Council in January 2001, Bush had declared his objective of diminishing America's participation in the regional tensions and suggested defense operations against Iraq.
Bush bore a individual resentment against Saddam, believing he had been behind a scheme to assassinate his parent, President George HW Bush, on a trip to Kuwait in 1993. He furthermore disliked that one of the largest establishments in Baghdad had a floor mural with a portrait of his father's face that each person had to step on.
Questioning Techniques
But it was Cheney who was one of the most vociferous advocating attacking Iraq, repeatedly referencing intelligence reports that were both thin or totally deceptive. He endorsed what the Bush government indirectly described as "intensive questioning", the use of simulated drowning and torture.
Addressing a Senate document in 2014 that found that no useful information had resulted from the interrogation methods, Cheney rejected the conclusions as "full of crap". He informed Fox News: "We requested [the CIA] to take steps and establish programmes to catch the bastards who killed 3,000 of us on 9/11 and guarantee it never happened again. That's exactly what they did and they deserve a lot of recognition."
External Perception
Cheney enjoyed labels imposed on him by critics such as Darth Vader and the sinister presence, and by the concept that he was a dark force manipulating Bush. In Peter Baker's 2013 volume about the pair, Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House, Cheney is quoted as saying: "Do I represent the sinister strategist in the corner that nobody ever sees leave his hole? It's a advantageous way to work, truthfully."
Corporate Connections
Dispute over his commercial relationships accompanied him through his period as second-in-command. Although he had little experience in corporate affairs but established relationships in defence, particularly in Saudi Arabia, he was asked to become part of Halliburton, one of the world's biggest oil and gas companies, in 1995 as chairman and top executive.
In 2000 he was selected as Bush's election partner for the White House. Controversially, during the conflict in Iraq, Halliburton was given US contracts valued at billions.
It greatly increased his wealth. His yearly compensation during his period at the firm increased from his quarter-million dollars while military head to $4.4m. When he left in 2000 he had a package worth over $20m|twenty
